Category Archives: Research

Vespers

On March 10, 2022, EMEWS performed Alvin Lucier’s Vespers at their Winter Concert. I made a SuperCollider patch to play the piece since I do not have access to the original 1970s technology for the piece. Also, the piece’s duration was adjusted to fit the length of the concert.

The link below contains the SuperCollider file and the score. The SuperCollider turns the performer’s laptop into a sound and light generator for the piece. The performer can freely change the rate of “clicks” and the color of the lights.

https://app.box.com/s/tep9y2rb59mq7y3weicoou0t7wmynuho

Performing Vespers in a darkened room with improvised sound and color was a memorable experience for both audience and the performer. Feel free to use the Vespers patch for your ensemble’s performance. No previous experience on SuperCollider is necessary. Just follow the instruction on the score.

Aphasia (2009) by Mark Applebaum – performed by Joo Won Park

I got obsessed with Mark Applebaum’s Aphasia (2009) in the past two months. I perform my own music and often improvise, so studying and learning another composer’s piece with a score was challenging. But Applebaum is one of my electroacoustic heroes, and I have wanted to try Aphasia for a decade. After about two months of practice, I think I learned enough to enjoy performing it. Thank you for watching!

Forms to Ponder

Forms to Ponder is a collaborative EP with Theodosia Roussos. The nine tracks in the album relate to each other in many ways. It is a culmination of my musical practice for the last six months.

Program

A form in music connects what we hear now to what we heard before. When we notice the form, we can also expect what may come next. Tracks in this album have forms best expressed with recorded sounds and digital music technology. Amidst the unfamiliar electronic sounds, I hear delightful relationships unfold. Creating and listening to this album was a fun memory game for me, and I hope to share that feeling with you.

The included bonus item is a production map that connects one track to another. More information and an explanation of how and why I made this album is available at www.joowonpark.net/cmpe.

Computer Music Practice: Forms to Ponder

Tracks in Forms to Ponder features audio apps and processes I developed for Computer Music Practice Examples (CMPE). CMPE’s goal is to show how and why I use technology to make music. The only way I know how to create the sounds and forms featured in this EP is by using digital technology. There are musical expressions only possible when sounds turn into data. The video below elaborates this idea with the usual block diagrams and Google slides.